Countdown to Canton: Broncos Who Belong in Hall of Fame: Bill Thompson | No. 15

It's time to shine a light on the careers of those former Broncos who deserve Hall-of-Fame recognition.

In the next few weeks, the Pro Football Hall of Fame voters will decide on the select few who are going to be enshrined in the hallowed halls of Canton in 2022. While football fans await that announcement, Mile High Huddle will be writing a series of articles to highlight the Denver Broncos who should be on the list, but have been excluded. 

Please notice that most of the omissions are candidates now in the Senior Pool process. The reason why that is a tragedy can be read here. It's tme to kick off this series and we do so with an all-time great.

Bill Thompson | DB | 1969-81

Darryl Norenberg-USA TODAY Sports

The Orange Crush defense of the ’77 Broncos is considered one of the greatest defenses of all time and that team had a cast of incredible defenders. Randy Gradishar, Louis Wright and the rowdy bunch on the defensive line overshadowed a few other brilliant players, including safety Bill Thompson. 

 Just because his name isn’t easily recognizable doesn’t mean that he isn’t Hall-of-Fame worthy. Far from it.

Thompson was a playmaker for that great defense. In total, the Broncos recorded 39 turnovers that season and Thompson was responsible for eight, or 20%, of the takeaways. 

 He led the team with five interceptions and recorded three fumble recoveries. That total was more than Gradishar, Tom Jackson, Wright and any other great from the Orange Crush.

Thompson's ’77 season wasn’t an outlier in his accomplishments in the NFL. He entered the league in 1969 as a third-round draft selection and spent his first four seasons as a cornerback before switching to safety. 

During his 13 seasons in the Broncos’ secondary, Thompson tallied 40 interceptions, 21 fumble recoveries, and seven defensive touchdowns. He was not recognized nearly enough for being such a dynamic player on defense. 

Thompson was a second-team All-AFL selection by the Associated Press in 1969, but was largely overlooked by that organization after the merger and didn’t get attention again until 1977 when he received his first-team All-Pro award. 

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Thompson was also a three-time Pro Bowl selection. Unfortunately, the awards don’t paint a clear picture of his performance.

In 1973, Thompson led the NFL in fumble return yardage. At that point, those 80 return yards were good enough to rank in the top-10 all time. 

Thompson's career fumble return yardage ranked No. 2 all time when he retired and he wasn’t knocked off that pedestal until 1997, nearly two decades later. His fumbles returned for a touchdown clearly highlights how much of a playmaker he was on defense. 

Thompson scooped and scored four times in his career, ranking No. 1 all time when he retired. That was not bested until 1998, again nearly two decades after he left the game. 

Rarely do career records last in the ever-changing NFL and Thompson holding these achievements for so long is a testament to his greatness. To add to his defensive achievements, he was also an accomplished kick and punt returner. 

In 1969, Thompson led the AFL in both yards per punt return and yards per kick return. He also led the NFL in punt return yardage in 1973.

In addition to his achievements, Thompson was also a bit of an ironman. After missing a few games early in his career, he started every game from 1973 to 1981 (134 straight games). He retired still playing at a high level as evidenced by his four interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and one last Pro Bowl nod in his final season.

Thompson was a key cog in the legendary Orange Crush defense. He played in a Super Bowl and was the unsung hero of several very good defenses in Denver. His greatness is recognized by the very team he played for as he is in the Broncos Ring of Fame. 

Thompson's long-lasting career achievements, awards and the mystique of playing on one of the most iconic defenses of all time should be enough to get him in the Hall of Fame.

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